Tag: Faith

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Time-Tested Faith

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 42-45

Daily Thought

The nation of Judah had been carried off in captivity to Babylon with only a small remnant left behind in the land of Israel. The prophet Jeremiah remained with the remnant. Fearful that Babylon would return against them, the remnant of Judah favored seeking refuge in Egypt, but requested Jeremiah first ask God if they should go. They vowed before the prophet, “Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 42:6).

God responded, instructing them to remain in the land, “Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand” (Jeremiah 42:11). 

That seems clear enough, yet, a short time later, “they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord” (Jeremiah 43:7). The people vowed to obey, then rebelled when God answered. What happened?

The answer is found between the request and the rebellion, “at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 42:7). Israel, it seems, expected a more prompt response. In their eyes, God was late.

God is always late (it seems), because “‘my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8)). In our prayers, we seek answers. In our prayers, God seeks faith. 

The silence tested their faith. God took ten days to answer, which gave the people ten days to ponder whom they feared, and they feared the Babylonians they could see more than they feared the God they could not, so they disobeyed the word of God.

Time is a test of faith. They should have waited.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, You are forever faithful and true. I place my trust in You because You are the Rock, the Solid Foundation on which to build my life.

You are my God and I will wait for You and Your Word, because it is worth the wait. I will place my faith in the One who is always faithful.

Amen

Daily Question

If God would answer your prayers when you expect him to, would your faith become stronger? Why or why not?

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The Silence of God

Daily Reading

Job 32-34

Daily Thought

Elihu, a young man, waited until his elders and Job were done talking, then he had something to say, “It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion’” (Job 42:9-10). He comes off as a typical young know-it-all: he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, yet he thinks he’s got it figured out. It would be easy to write him off. 

That would be a mistake. What if he is right?

Job’s three older friends had God figured out. Job was suffering, therefore, Job had sinned. God will answer when Job repents. It’s a formula God always answers. It may be “yes” or “no” or “not yet” (another formula with three options). Isn’t that how God works? 

But what if God doesn’t answer?

This was Job’s dilemma and Job’s demand, “Oh, that I had one to hear me! Let the Almighty answer me! (Job 31:35). Ultimately, this was Job’s sin, not something he had done (as Job’s three friends claimed), but something he was doing, something he was demanding of God. Elihu called him out on it, “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job 37:14). To know God is to trust him, so stop questioning God. Worship him, for “God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice” (Job 34:12).

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me. ~Job 38:1-3

It is not that God does not answer, but that he does not answer to you (or me). In God’s silence, he seeks our trust. We answer to him.

Daily Prayer

Sovereign God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Your ways are good, right, and just. They are also loving. You are, at the same time, my Loving Father and my Righteous Judge. Why would I want to live in a world not ruled by righteousness? And yet, I do. 

Your Word seems foreign to this world, because this world would rather rule itself, and the results are not good. I can serve the kingdom of man or the Kingdom of God, but not both. The choice is clear, and I choose to be ruled by righteousness. I will follow You.

Amen

Daily Question

Does your faith grow or weaken when God is silent?

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I Can’t Solve Me

Daily Reading

Job 8-10

Daily Thought

Bildad’s callous solution to Job’s suffering is simply, “If you are pure and upright, surely then he (God) will rouse himself for you and restore your rightful habitation” (Job 8:6); to which Job rightly replied, “Truly I know that it is so, but how can a man be in the right before God?” (Job 9:2). Job is saying, “You are right, Bildad, and that’s why you’re wrong.” Bildad believes you can be good enough before God, and Job despairs that good enough is impossible.

Job is a story of the contrast between two views of suffering, but, more importantly, two views of God. For Bildad, it is “do right before God”; for Job, it is “be right with God.” Bildad puts his faith in the character of man because Bildad is looking for a solution. Job simply needs to get his act together. Job trusts in the character of God because Job knows there is nothing he can do and he seeks a Savior. 

At first, Job fears there may not be one–“There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both” (Job 9:33), he cries, looking for someone to bring him together with God. As the story continues, Job’s hope will increase, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth (Job 19:25). Job is correct and his name is Jesus.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” ~John 1:14

“I can do this” means I am the solution. “I can’t do this” admits I need a Savior. The Gospel begins its work when I realize I can’t solve me.

Daily Prayer

My Father in heaven, You are holy. I am amazed that You even think of me, because I am not holy. Far from it. Yet You love me and seek me out. You save me, not because I have something You want or need, but You save me out of Your own pleasure. This is astonishing love.

Thank you for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through His obedience, His life, His death, His resurrection, I am made righteous and given the certainty of eternal life with You. You have given me all I ever need, and therefore I can love others the way You love, not to receive something, but for the sheer pleasure of loving and giving and serving.

Amen

Daily Question

What do you do when you have a problem that can only be solved by God?

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Do It Anyway

Daily Reading

Esther 1-5

Daily Thought

Haman was the king’s right hand, and he reveled in his position. All bowed before him, except one. Mordecai the Jew refused to bow and remained standing. This infuriated Haman and he plotted Mordecai’s death, but not just his–he sought to destroy all of Israel, for they were an obstinate people. They bowed before no one except God alone. 

Meanwhile, Ahasuerus, king of Persia, needed a new queen (he had discarded the old one), and the virgins were paraded before him. Among them was Esther, a Jew but no one knew that. She was also Mordecai’s cousin and adopted daughter, but no one knew that either. Ahasuerus “loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:17). The book of Esther is more political than religious; the name of God is not found on its pages, but God is at work. He has his servant Esther in place. 

It was a time of national peril for Israel and Mordecai appealed to Esther to approach the king. Esther’s response is to call her countrymen to fast on her behalf. Courage cannot be ignorant and Esther knew the danger of Mordecai’s request, “if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law–to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter (Esther 4:11). 

“Do it anyway,” was Mordecai’s response. 

“Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ~Esther 4:14

Mordecai knew the danger, for he also had stood courageously. Mordecai is not careless of her life. He loves her and has cared for her since childhood, but cares more deeply for her soul. To keep silent when courage is called for may (or may not) save your life, but you will die inside.

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” ~Luke 9:24

Esther understood, “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). This is no statement of despair, but of devotion to her nation and her God. 

The story continues, but that is for tomorrow.

Daily Prayer

God, wonderful Savior, I will be prepared always to stand for You, as You stood for me in my place at the cross. I will be prepared, putting on Your armor daily, the faith in Your care, the hope of eternity, the love which You showed me. I will be prepared, pouring into Your Word, always ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope I have in You.

You set the time, I’ll be ready.

Amen

Daily Question

What do you typically want to know before you say yes to God?

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Trusting God

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 3-5

Daily Thought

First Chronicles begins with 9 chapters of names, a genealogy of families fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham, “I will multiply your offspring as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). These long lists are names, the sons of Judah (1Chronicles 4:1) and Simeon (1Chronicles 4:24) and Reuben (1Chronicles 5:1), etc., are the grains of sand advertising that God has done exactly what he said he would do. It is a trail of trust; our faith is not blind. The God who has always been faithful is forever faithful, and, based on that, will continue to be. We can trust him with our lives.

In the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Indy is chasing the Holy Grail, the cup of legend, supposedly shared by Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper. The bad guy wants the cup, too, so he shoots Indy’s dad, not dead, but dying.  “It’s time to ask yourself what you believe,” said the bad guy. Go get the Grail, Indy, it’s the only thing that can save your dad. Indy took a book, given to him by his father, that should lead him to the Holy Grail. Could he trust the book?

The book said, “Kneel.” Indiana Jones knelt, and blades of steel passed harmlessly over his head. The book said, “Proceed on the name of God,” and Indy stepped on rocks labeled I-E-H-O-V-A-H (with an “I” because it’s Latin) to safety. Then the book said, “Leap,” but there was nowhere to leap–just a deep chasm before him. He stepped forward anyway onto a bridge unseen. It was a leap of faith, but it wasn’t blind, because the book had proven true. Indiana Jones trusted the book.

Followers of Jesus are those who trust the book. God’s Word proves true and we put our lives in the hands of its author. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). We, like the Hebrews, discover and develop trust in God as we immerse ourselves in Scripture, even long lists.

Daily Prayer

God, You are faithful and true. I can trust fully in You. Build my faith, God, and strengthen my trust. You are certainly worthy of it. I know that if I seek You and only You, I do not need to worry or be anxious. All things are in Your hand. It baffles me how many things distract me when I only need to keep my eyes on One. You.

May I be faithful to Your Word, reading it, no, devouring it with delight. The more I am in it, the more I am overwhelmed by Your grace and truth. You search deep inside me with Your Words, and You clean house, and You lead me to a life full of Your majesty and wonder.

Amen

Daily Question

Why do you trust the Word of God to be true?

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Move Mountains

Daily Reading

2Kings 12-14

Daily Thought

Elisha was old and sick and would soon die, and Joash king of Israel rushed to his side. King’s don’t run to anyone, but this was the prophet of God. Joash wanted to know if there were any any last words to lead him forward, and there were. Elisha instructed Joash to take a bow and arrow, then Elisha laid his hands on the hands of Joash and together they drew the bow eastward toward Syria. “Shoot,” and he shot. And Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them” (2Kings 13:17). The prophet would die, but God would continue to go before Israel. 

“Take the arrows,” said Elisha, and Joash took them. “Strike the ground with them.” It was an invitation to raise the bar, to reach the heavens, to embrace the power of God Almighty, but instead Joash tapped “three times and stopped” (2Kings 13:18), too soon, too timid. Elisha was angry at his small action, “You should have struck more!”

“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” ~Mark 11:23

The Christian life isn’t “Let go and let God” as much as it’s “Grab on and go with God.” God is looking to see how far we will go, how much fight we have. Joash could have and should have pummeled the ground and moved mountains. 

Daily Prayer

My God, You have created such an incredible world. It displays Your handiwork, Your wisdom, Your majesty. You placed me in this world to rule it, subdue it, master it, and care for it. May I do it with gusto!

I am more than a conqueror when I trust fully in my Creator, the God of the heavens and the earth. Jesus, may my love for You never falter. I know Your love for me never has. 

Amen

Daily Question

What are some of the big things God has done through you?

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A Beginning

Daily Reading

2Kings 6-8

Daily Thought

Blaise Pascal, 17th-Century French philosopher, proposed that at the very least belief in God is a good bet. God cannot be proved or disproved rationally, he argued, but if God is real, there is great gain in believing in him and great loss in not. If God is not real, then neither matters. It is more reasonable, therefore, to believe, since it is the only course that provides an advantage. This is not a strong faith, but it is a beginning.

Listen in as four lepers employ similar reasoning to their situation. Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, has led his entire army and laid siege to Samaria and a great famine ensued. Four lepers, starving outside the gates of the city of Samaria, reasoned, “If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die” (2Kings 7:4). Like Pascal’s good bet, there was only one choice with an advantage, so they took a chance and went to the Syrian camp and discovered a mighty work of God. The Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear “the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army” (2Kings 7:6), and the Syrians fled and left behind food and drink, silver and gold, clothing, horses, and tents. The siege of Israel was ended. God had saved them and left for the lepers a feast!

It was not a strong faith, but it was a beginning. The lepers saw the might of God and it began a work in their hearts. For a time they feasted on God’s goodness, but then realized, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news” (2Kings 7:9). It must be shared. They called to the gatekeepers, and the gatekeepers called to the king and his household, and the king cried out to the city the siege is over, and now the whole city feasted.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” ~Matthew 13:31-32

You don’t light a fire. You light a match and the match starts the fire. 

Daily Prayer

My God, Your grace calls me to You. It is good and it satisfying. May I taste of Your goodness and share it with others. You have given me life, a life so abundant that I dare not keep silent.

Lord God, in You I find life. I know why I am here and what I am to do. Your love is great, and though I first came hesitantly, I now follow fully. You are everything to me, and I give You my heart, my soul, my mind, and my strength. May my life overflow and may Your glory be evident in all that I do.

Amen

Daily Question

In your opinion, what is the best reason to follow Jesus?

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Limping Along

Daily Reading

1Kings 18-20

Daily Thought

The prophet Elijah chides the people of Israel, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1Kings 18:21). The people had no answer. Many simply saw no difference. Why could not the Lord be God, and Baal, also? Two paths up the same mountain. Why must I choose? After all, Ahab and Jezebel preferred Baal and they were king and queen of Israel. It might be a sin to worship Baal, but life seemed easier if you go along with the people in charge. Sin always comes with benefits, but it ultimately destroys.

One foggy night at sea the captain of a ship saw what looked like the lights of another ship heading toward him. He signaled the ship, “Change your course ten degrees to the south.” The reply, “No. You change your course ten degrees north.” “I am a captain in this navy,” he insisted, “so you change course ten degrees south.” Answered the light, “I am a seaman first class. Change your course north.” Infuriated, the captain blustered, “I am a battleship. Change your course immediately!” The final response came, “I am a lighthouse. Your call, captain.” 

It was time to decide so Elijah clarified the choices. Two altars, two choices, one altar to Baal, the other to God. Each altar would be prepared for sacrifice with wood but God or Baal must ignite his own altar. 450 prophets placed a bull on the Baal altar and cried out for a flame. From morning until noon they pleaded, but they knew inside they were calling to nobody. For three minutes or three hours or three days they could beg, but nothing comes from nothing and there is no god in Baal. 

Elijah, then, prepared his bull, adding dramatic touches, such as drenching the altar and the wood with water. He spoke to God, but only once, because his God was there. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (1Kings 18:38).

Your call, Israel.

Daily Prayer

My God, I am glad to boast in You. The Truth You declare, I will speak with confidence. When You say something will happen, I know it is as true as if it had already occurred. What you say will happen, happens. I trust in You and You alone.

I stand by this, that I know the God of Creation, who exercises justice and kindness and righteousness on this earth. That I know Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. That I know the Truth and the Truth has set me free to live a life of wonder and worship.

Amen

Daily Question

Can people tell who is in charge of your life? How?

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Bad Beginning

Daily Reading

2Samuel 4-7

Daily Thought

David determined to bring the ark of God to the city of Jerusalem. It didn’t go well. After loading the ark of God on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, the ark thrust sideways, “and Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2Samuel 6:6-7). The celebration turned to grief. 

What happened?

Here it is–David determined to bring the ark. David determined. He talked to his leaders, “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1Chronicles 13:1). He talked to the people, “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1Chronicles 13:4). 

Of course he talked to God, right? David always talks to God. Look how often: “David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I…?’”—1Samuel 23:3; 1Samuel 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1; 2Samuel 5:19, etc. 

Except not this time. David did not ask God if God wanted his ark in Jerusalem. 

Therefore, tragically, he did not also ask God how to carry the ark. God’s word was clear, but forgotten; “You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it” (Exodus 25:12-15). The ark was to be carried on the shoulders by four Kohathite men, and “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15). 

“And Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it.” ~2Samuel 6:6

It ended badly because it began badly. It began without God.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. You are God and there is no other. May I worship You the way You want, the way You ask me to, the way that pleases You. God, too often I worship You to please myself and others.  May I be more concerned about Your pleasure than mine. I give You Sunday; may I worship You Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well, and may my worship be seen in my love for others. May my life be a living sacrifice.

God, help me be Your servant to the poor and the needy. Let me be one who reads Your Word and follows Your ways. To worship You, obedience comes before sacrifice. Keep me from becoming self-centered, world-centered. May I be heavenly minded and passionate about You. Mold my heart, so that it desires all things good and righteous.

Amen

Daily Question

When do you typically invite God into your plans?

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Lucky Charms

Daily Reading

1Samuel 4-8

Daily Thought

Jericho was the fortress city Israel first battled as they began to take possession of the Promised Land. Israel’s faith in God is reflected in the fearful cries of her enemy, “Our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). And the walls came down!

But as the books of Samuel begin, something is different, something changed. Israel was no longer following their God, they were carrying him, “Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies” (1Samuel 4:3). To Israel, God was no longer in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, he was in a box. God had become an “it,” an object. When the Philistines learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, they were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?” (1Samuel 4:6-8). A god? These mighty gods? The Philistines were not terrified of a people possessed by the great and mighty Creator of the heavens and the earth, as Jericho feared. Rather, the Philistines feared an enchanted lucky-charm god in the possession of Israel. God is no lucky charm we carry in our pockets. He is God Almighty, creator of the heavens and the earth. He carries us. 

Israel’s once powerful faith in their Almighty God had become little more than bumper-sticker superstition, but God will be no lucky charm. Israel was defeated.

Daily Prayer

Awesome God, mighty Creator, I worship You and give myself fully to Your possession.   You bought me with a price, the blood of my Savior, Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am a temple of Your Holy Spirit. God, my faith must be seen in more than a cross around my neck, a fish on my car. It must be evident in my life, my actions, my speech, my walk.

God, teach me to walk in Your ways, to obey Your commandments, to follow Your path which leads to life, a wonderful, abundant, overflowing life. I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  You are my all, and all I am is Yours.

Amen

Daily Question

What is the difference between believing in a religion called Christianity and having a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?